Saturday, 23 January 2010

Light Emerald.

One of the containers in my unheated garden shed houses some birch twigs and a Light EmeraldCampaea margaritata larva.

I found this caterpillar on birch at Otley Chevin in October and the photograph shows the distinguishing fringe of hair-like structures all along the lower parts. It is also possible to make out the pair of rudimentary legs on the eighth segment.

Broad-bordered Yellow UnderwingNoctua fimbriata is a common moth in Yorkshire but I have only ever caught one in my suburban garden and that arrived on 18th September 2009.

As it was a female I kept it in a container for a few days with some dock leaves and, sure enough, it laid a batch of eggs.

The larvae are spending the winter in my heated (for the guinea pig!) shed with a temperature ranging from 10-15 degrees celsius. They are munching their way through native Primrose plants purchased from the local garden centre.